26 September 2008

by Rob McCrae

Born Ruffians, The Courteeners, Voodoo Six, Attack! Attack!, Neil Halstead, You Me At Six, The Tindersticks, Bjork, Weezer, Hey Negrita, Imajim, Plain White T’s, Towers Of London, Run Hide Survive, Those Dancing Days, The Rascals, Oasis, Elbow

"There’s no denying that he chimes as an odd accompaniment when twinned with a danced up Bjork but like many of the tracks on 'Volta', when stretched out like a carpet they unravel in a pleasing fashion."

Born Ruffians – Little Garcon
Rocking back and forth in the cradle of Americana with a saving twist of melody, you’d be inclined to toss this youthful band a bone even though there’s something incomplete gnawing at your mind. The fact that they’re from Canada and signed to Warp suggests that more potential will worm its way through.

The Courteeners – That Kiss
Much has been made of Liam Fray’s clawing arrogance but that didn’t detract from the glowing reception the band garnered at the summer festivals, even when Fray stood motionless on stage singing in a featureless monotone. Strings feature on this single but not even a gargantuan self-belief can save this from sounding impossibly mawkish.

Voodoo Six – Feed My Soul
Voodoo Six have already racked up support with Iron Maiden, UFO and thought-to-be-extinct rocker Dio, so belonging to the zeitgeist isn’t top priority especially when there’re like waxworks from a classic rock era. Backlit poodle perms may not be a reality but it’s probably on the wish list and while the vocalist has the bluster of Dave Lee Roth he doesn’t quite reach the giddy heights of Jon Bon Jovi.

Attack! Attack! – This Is A Test
Created out of some shopping trolleys on the edge of an industrial estate in Cardiff, this is a band with some unresolved issues, working out the knots of stress with a furious gale of guitar and dentist-slipped-with-the-drill vocals. Observe the cursory nod to the dayglo pop punk world as practised by their American cousins.

Neil Halstead – Queen Bee
Halstead has the Will Oldham look only toying with the template a touch by adding a straw hat to the prophet’s beard and the mean toothed grin. Unfortunately unlike his nemesis Halstead’s voice lacks the gravelly and celestial wonderment and is just too flimsy to get teary-eyed over. It’s all a bit 'California Dreamin’ to make a dent in today’s world of computers and genocide.

You Me At Six – Jealous Minds Think Alike
A twist on the age-old aphorism but sadly language kudos doesn’t pull a veil over the derivative nature of this prehistoric rock even with the pleasing fade out that sounds like the bands life support system is being reduced to a dribble. Even a deaf person might hate this.

Tindersticks - Boobar Come Back To Me
Funeral band of the century take the mike for another lugubrious look at the dark penumbras of life and even though they could make a child at a theme park unhappy there is something about the way in which they tease a glimmer of hope from their downbeat tales. This is dark and ruminative.

Bjork (feat Antony Hegarty) – The Dull Flame Of Desire
On paper an unsurpassable combination especially when Hegarty is the collaborator with the go to larynx. There’s no denying that he chimes as an odd accompaniment when twinned with a danced up Bjork but like many of the tracks on 'Volta', when stretched out like a carpet they unravel in a pleasing fashion. The new remixes reinforce the view.

Weezer – Troublemaker
There aren’t many bands who could survive the cull of bands from the mid nineties but sure enough Weezer were washed up on shore and shook themselves down in time to release one of their finest albums of this year with a single (Pork & Beans) to match. This follow-up mimes with the same gestures as old school Weezer in addition to a sly vocal that is probably funnier than most of your friends at their best.

Hey Negrita – Room Service
The kind of bar room brawlers tune that ZZ Top’s cousins might listen to on some dirty whiskey plank in the middle of a village made of brothels on a truck stop. Sung by men who have been kicked into the road by their spouses.

Imajim – We Are Speakers
When a band have a name that looks like the paints run from the top of a poster then a tension headache can only be averted by a combination of a part delicate and part authoritative voice soaring with some indie grandeur. Elbow meets Jeff Buckley and convinces him not to go swimming.

Plain White T’s – Natural Disaster
Joyfully repellent American band born straight out of a quarterback’s jockstrap. If only this band and Scouting For Girls would go for a ride in a Zeppelin that suddenly plummeted to the ground.

Towers Of London – Naked On The Dance Floor
Tabloid baiting TOL edge along the precipice of parody without needing to deliver in terms of music just as long as their image regenerates with more tales of excess. This song has dim bubblegum lyrics and a twirling guitar riff backing up Donny’s claim that the band have dispensed with the metal and sided with pop. It may be their best decision yet.

Run Hide Survive - Dyson
If you’ve just been dumped by Justice and want to go on the rebound with some damaged synths and pulsating electro punk then this Sheffield duo are waiting outside to service your every need. If I was in a blind listening room I’d swear on the life of a family member that it was the French duo. I’d actually be wrong so someone would have to be killed.

Those Dancing Days – Home Sweet Home
Swedish girls grow up free from the scouring cloth of modern life and transform it into ebullient pop songs that don’t sully themselves with the manufactured nature like a song from the UK. This sounds like they really are naively happy to be alive and echoing Pink in some tangential way but a lot better.

The Rascals – I Give You Sympathy
Destined to skulk around in the shadow of the other band, forever, especially when the delivery and the song structure don’t exactly strive to distance themselves in a copyright claim. At least this has a Merseybeat chorus, which is more than can be said than some of their other releases.

Oasis – The Shock Of The Lightening
As much as you want to pack Oasis off into a 90’s relic container the original formula they fostered actually still taps into the very primal genome of the majority of those into singalong choruses. This could slip easily into any Oasis greatest hits set without any lube.

Elbow – The Bones Of You
“Elbow are only now getting the recognition that they deserve” (copyright phrase – all of music journalism) and so after winning the Mercury Music Award everything in the immediate aftermath is going to sound like the collective term for geniuses. Whatever your view is on frontman Guy Garvey he does write some memorable lyrical couplets, like Arctic Monkeys for thirty-something car owners.

26 September 2008

by Rob McCrae

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